Occupy San Francisco remains intact in spite of growing tension with police

Occupy San Francisco remains intact in spite of growing tension with police

Occupy San Francisco protests remain in Justin Herman Plaza on Thursday, after police called off an early morning raid of the encampment.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Occupy San Francisco survived another day, after police called off the early morning raid on the group's financial district encampments on Thursday morning, reports the San Francisco Guardian.

The camps outside the Federal Reserve and in Justin Herman Plaza, near the Ferry Building, are still standing, despite threats from the city of San Francisco that police would arrest protesters who stayed overnight and tear down the outposts because of unsanitary conditions, calling it an "imminent health threat," reports the San Francisco Examiner.

Protesters stayed up throughout the night, chanting and dancing around the rows of tents, waiting for the police who never arrived, according to the Washington Post.

San Francisco Police Department spokesman Carlos Manfredi reportedly said that there were no plans to ever raid the encampment, and that police officers routinely gather to practice crowd control procedures, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Meanwhile, fellow protesters across the Bay in Oakland are not faring as well after a series of violent encounters with police, though Occupy Oakland began to regroup last night, as more than 3,000 protesters gathered in Frank Ogawa Plaza and even pitched a few tents, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

The group has regained some traction after Iraq war veteran Scott Olsen was injured by Oakland police during a raid of the encampment on Tuesday. Members of the Occupy SF movement hung banners and donned T-shirts in support of the veteran.

In response to the alleged police brutality shown toward the protesters, political analyst and commenter Keith Olbermann has called on Oakland Mayor Jean Quan to resign, reports NBC Bay Area.